Born and raised in Minneapolis, Prince signed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records at the age of 19, soon releasing the albums For You (1978) and Prince (1979). He went on to achieve critical success with the influential albums Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982). His sixth album, Purple Rain (1984), was recorded with his new backing band the Revolution, and was also the soundtrack to the film of the same name in which he starred. Purple Rain garnered continued success for Prince and was a major commercial achievement, spending six consecutive months atop the Billboard 200 chart. The soundtrack also won Prince the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. After disbanding the Revolution, Prince released the album Sign o' the Times (1987), widely hailed by critics as the greatest work of his career. In the midst of a contractual dispute with Warner Bros. in 1993, he changed his stage name to the unpronounceable symbol logo. Hollow circle above downward arrow crossed with a curlicued horn-shaped symbol and then a short bar (known to fans as the "Love Symbol") and was often referred to as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (or TAFKAP) or simply The Artist.
After signing with Arista Records in 1998, Prince reverted to his original name in 2000. Over the next decade, six of his albums entered the U.S. top 10 charts. In April 2016, at the age of 57, Prince died after accidentally overdosing on fentanyl at his Paisley Park home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. He was a prolific musician who released 39 albums during his life, with a vast array of unreleased material left in a custom-built bank vault underneath his home after his death, including fully completed albums and over 50 finished music videos. He also released songs under multiple pseudonyms during his life, as well as writing songs that were made popular after being covered by other musicians, most notably "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor and "Manic Monday" by the Bangles. Estimates of the complete number of songs written by Prince range anywhere from 500 to well over 1,000. Released posthumously, his demo albums Piano and a Microphone 1983 (2018) and Originals (2019) both received critical acclaim.
Prince sold over 100 million records worldwide, ranking him among the best-selling music artists of all time. His awards included the Grammy President's Merit Award, the American Music Awards for Achievement and of Merit, the Billboard Icon Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016, and was inducted twice into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)
Studio albums
For You (1978)
Prince (1979)
Dirty Mind (1980)
Controversy (1981)
1999 (1982)
Purple Rain (1984)
Around the World in a Day (1985)
Parade (1986)
Sign o' the Times (1987)
Lovesexy (1988)
Batman (1989)
Graffiti Bridge (1990)
Diamonds and Pearls (1991)
Love Symbol (1992)
Come (1994)
The Black Album (1994)
The Gold Experience (1995)
Chaos and Disorder (1996)
Emancipation (1996)
Crystal Ball (1998)
The Truth (1998)
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999)
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999)
The Rainbow Children (2001)
One Nite Alone... (2002)
Xpectation (2003)
N·E·W·S (2003)
The Chocolate Invasion (2004)
The Slaughterhouse (2004)
Musicology (2004)
3121 (2006)
Planet Earth (2007)
Lotusflow3r (2009)
MPLSound (2009)
20Ten (2010)
Plectrumelectrum (2014)
Art Official Age (2014)
HITnRUN Phase One (2015)
HITnRUN Phase Two (2015)
Posthumous releases:
Piano and a Microphone 1983 (2018)
Originals (2019)
Welcome 2 America (2021)
Prince also released two albums credited to Madhouse, three albums credited to the New Power Generation, and one credited to the N.P.G. Orchestra:
Madhouse:
8 (1987)
16 (1987)
The New Power Generation:
Goldnigga (1993)
Exodus (1995)
Newpower Soul (1998)
The N.P.G. Orchestra:
Kamasutra (1997)
For Serbian singer Princ, please use Princ.
Our Destiny / Roadhouse Garden
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My life sings all around
Twenty quarters to your name
Five George Washingtons
No one to blame
Oh, look, it's written in the sky above
Our destiny is to fall in love
Our destiny is to fall in love
I fell in love
I knew when I saw you walk
I had to talk to you
I didn't know what to say
I wanted your love anyways
Oh, look, it's written in the sky above
Our destiny is to fall in love
Don't fight it 'cause it's stronger than us
Our destiny is to fall in love
I fell in love
Look, I'm not sayin' let's get married or nothing
I'm not ready to settle down
And I don't wanna have your baby
But you gotta be the finest specimen I've ever seen
Our destiny is to fall in love
I fell in love
I fell in love
I fell in love
I'm smitten with that kiss that you steal
Babe, I would never treat you like this
I have passions, tingle
Let's find a room
Do you want me?
I want you, I want you
I want you, I want you
This is the road that leads to where I live
See the house, open the door
It's alright, it's alright
This is the house where we used to play
We're open nights, we're open days
It's alright, it's alright
This is the garden where emotions grow
Twenty-four feelings all in a row
It's alright, yeah, it's alright
Talkin' about the roadhouse garden
Oh, the roadhouse garden
This is the place where evil died
See the door, come inside
It's alright, it's alright
This is the house where life's the play
Don't let the color scare you away
It's alright, it's alright
This is the garden where emotions grow
Give 'em love, open your soul
It's alright, yeah, it's alright now
I'm talkin' about the roadhouse garden
Yeah, the roadhouse garden
Oh, come on in and let's groove
I'm talkin' about the roadhouse garden
The road, the road, roadhouse garden
Oh, the roadhouse garden, garden
The roadhouse garden, oh
Oh, oh
The first verse of "Roadhouse Garden" by Prince and the Revolution talks about love at first sight. The singer tells the story of how he met his love interest, and how the moment he saw her, he knew that his life would never be the same, and that he would fall in love with her. The verse also mentions the financial situation of his love interest, who only had twenty-five cents in her pocket.
The chorus emphasizes destiny and fate. It suggests that the singer and his love interest are meant to be together, and that they should not resist the powerful force that brought them into each other's lives. Later on, the singer also describes how he is attracted to his love interest physically, and how he wants to spend time with her intimately. In the end, the song discusses a place called the "Roadhouse Garden," which seems to be a metaphor for a safe and comfortable haven where the singer and his love interest can be together without any fear or hesitation.
Overall, "Roadhouse Garden" is a love song about two people who are meant to be together, and they cannot deny their attraction and connection to each other. The song introduces several themes, such as destiny and fate, attraction, and intimacy. It's a sweet and catchy love song that demonstrates Prince's musical and lyrical prowess.
Line by Line Meaning
The moment you came to town
As soon as you arrived, things changed for me
My life sings all around
I feel alive and happy because of you
Twenty quarters to your name
You have very little money
Five George Washingtons
You only have five one-dollar bills
No one to blame
There's no one responsible for our situation
Oh, look, it's written in the sky above
Fate has brought us together
Our destiny is to fall in love
We are meant to be together romantically
Don't fight it 'cause it's stronger than us
We can't resist our attraction to each other
I fell in love
I am now in love with you
I knew when I saw you walk
I was immediately drawn to you
I had to talk to you
I needed to speak with you
I didn't know what to say
I didn't have a plan for the conversation
I wanted your love anyways
I was willing to pursue you regardless of my uncertainty
Look, I'm not sayin' let's get married or nothing
I don't want to rush into anything serious
I'm not ready to settle down
I don't want to commit to a long-term relationship just yet
And I don't wanna have your baby
I'm not interested in having a child with you
But you gotta be the finest specimen I've ever seen
You are incredibly attractive
I'm smitten with that kiss that you steal
I am enamored with your romantic gestures
Babe, I would never treat you like this
I would never mistreat you
I have passions, tingle
I experience strong emotions when I'm with you
Let's find a room
Let's go somewhere private
Do you want me?
Are you attracted to me?
I want you, I want you
I am very interested in being with you
This is the road that leads to where I live
This is the path to my home
See the house, open the door
This is my residence, come inside
This is the house where we used to play
This is the place where we spent time together
We're open nights, we're open days
You can visit me anytime
This is the garden where emotions grow
This is an emotional place
Twenty-four feelings all in a row
There are many emotions that can be felt here
Talkin' about the roadhouse garden
This is a reference to the emotional landscape we share
This is the place where evil died
This is where negative energy fades away
Don't let the color scare you away
Don't be intimidated by the unconventional aspects of this place
Give 'em love, open your soul
Be affectionate and open up your true self
I'm talkin' about the roadhouse garden
This is a metaphor for our emotional lives
Oh, come on in and let's groove
Let's enjoy ourselves here
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind